Another Wallpaper Idea

Couldn’t resist – the article in Apartment Therapy even called this “The Best DIY Ideas to Steal”. Well…okay! Take a look at this cool use-wallpaper-as-art example:
Wallpaper Panel Framed as Art

She’s surrounded the paper with molding to “frame” it. And has lots of other good inspiration-ideas 🙂

Reuse – Recycle – RETHINK

I meant to post this yesterday for Earth Day but kinda missed…. but this doesn’t need to just be an “Earth Day” idea. We can all learn to see with new eyes. To “rethink” – how can I use this? do I have to throw it away to just fill up a landfill, or can I do something totally new with it?

You know, usually we CAN.

I ran across this picture (sorry didn’t save the link, I was having a leaky brain day) – if you know where it’s from (or it’s yours!) please let me know so I can give credit where it’s due! Take a look at this terrific basket:

Recycled Newspaper Baskets.

It’s made from rolled-up newspapers, and I don’t have directions so will be experimenting myself. Roll the newspaper tightly to make tubes – lots of them. Start to coil your basket, securing the coils with cotton string? Clear fishing line, IF you already have some and would not be buying new…. Or, maybe colorful cotton strips torn from an old sheet (okay, CUT from an old sheet – sheets are tough and strong!) Or yarn you have anyway? Anything that could be used to “sew” the coils together.

The basket would be lightweight and strong (paper is very very strong in compressed layers). I bet there are lots of adaptations we can think of, using this general idea.

Recycle, reuse, rethink 🙂

Featured on Cuteable!

Aw, this is nice. One of my lines is “your logo on jewelry” (find more info at Weekend Jewelry Logo Jewelry pages and Logo Earrings (and Pendants) and today I’m featured on Cuteable.

I actually did two versions of the Cuteable logo – one with glass, and one with a reclaimed (recycled! yeah!) scrabble tile:

Cuteable Logo on a Glass Pendant and Cuteable Logo Pendant on Reclaimed Scrabble Tile
They really are cute 🙂

Cuteable is super fun to look through anyway, even when I’m not featured 🙂 You’ll love it, go peek!

Captain Phillips is rescued!

Woo hoo! I don’t know details yet but it doesn’t matter – we’ve rescued Captain Phillips!
Check out Drudge Report or Yahoo News.

Back to our regular programming shortly 🙂

Wallpaper as Art – Do It Yourself

Another very cool way to add art to your space – use wallpaper 🙂

Okay, this is not a new idea. But it’s one worth revisiting. And I recently found a cool pic that shows a great example:
Wallpaper on Artist's Canvas - Do It Yourself Wall Art

The full directions for how they made it are on SquawFox.com. She actually stretched her wallpaper pieces over artist’s canvas, which makes it a bit more three-dimensional and more “genuine art” (whatever that means!). But you could simply glue the wallpaper onto foam core, or tack it directly to the wall – add a border (paint, ribbon, lath strips, you name it) and you’ve got yourself some framed artwork that can be customized to your exact space and color scheme.

Even better, you could use scraps left in the basement – or use wrapping paper (I know I’ve talked about that before), or make a collage with the wallpaper, or – well, you see where I’m going with this. Everybody can cut and paste. Now everybody can decorate on the cheap 🙂

Man’s Necklace sent to Matlacha FL

I just sent out a man’s necklace to a customer in Matlacha, Florida… I just wish I could hand-deliver it!

Man's Necklace with Carved Bone TalonMan’s Carved Bone Talon Necklace

Matlacha (pronounced mat-luh-chay) is a small town between Pine Island and Fort Myers, Florida, where I lived for nine years. I love Matlacha. It’s the kind of place that 30 or 40 years ago was a tiny scrabbly fishing village and people there would probably have laughed if you’d said it was ever going to be expensive-ish or (moving) upscale. It’s still not “upscale”, it’s still a village, but it’s kind of funky and fun and they have a great seafood place or three.

Tee shirts and flip flops and not over-developed yet. It’s a really cool place. If somebody was willing to pay the travel expense I’d be happy to hand-deliver. Any time 🙂

Paper as Art – and Do It Yourself, Too

Wow. I found an incredible artist who works in paper – you won’t believe the intricacy. Take a look:

Intricate Hand-Cut Paper Art by Auyama Hina

Intricate Hand-Cut Paper Art by Auyama Hina

My source is Paper Forest, a nifty blog that features paper in many incarnations. Another of her recent features is a fun do-it-yourself box:
Do It Yourself Smiley Cake Box
– and yes, she includes “how to”s.

Check out her blog – and have fun 🙂

DIY Recycled Wastebasket

You know I love to hear about new ways to recycle paper, since paper is after all one of my preferred materials 🙂 I saw this totally cool idea that tells you how to make a “new” wastebasket out of recycled magazine pages!


Recycled Wastebasket made with magazine pages

Recycled Wastebasket made with magazine pages



This is from Homemade Originals and there are clear directions included here.

You’ll probably think of a lot of variations on the theme – hey, if nothing else, you can take a wastebasket you already have and decorate it with magazine pages – not so original, but still a lot of fun. And all it costs is a magazine you’ve probably already got, and some glue.

Vive recycling!

White Jade, Amethyst, and Mother’s Day

If you’re one of those people who actually gets presents before the absolute last minute, you have my admiration. And I have a suggestion for a wonderful Mother’s Day gift.

My “White Jade and Amethyst Mother’s Necklace” has a large white jade briolette, natural amethyst teardrop, and a lacquered paper pendant charm with the Chinese pinyin, or writing, that says “Mom”. (The chinese word actually is “ma ma”!)

If you’re married just a year, with a new baby, of course this would be PERFECT. Your paper anniversary (the first year anniversary), and a new mom too? She’ll love it – and you 🙂

Star Trek: Scents. I’m not kidding.

I would say “I’ve seen it all now” but I’m totally not going down that road. Still, this one made me laugh. I was bumbling around this morning, looking at this and that, first cup of coffee, have to Get Moving in a Minute, and stumbled on this: Star Trek: the perfumes...really
Star Trek: perfumes. Really.

And they have one named “Red Shirt”. They have named a perfume after all the poor suckers who died! I mean, it’s funny and all, but… please explain the marketing strategy to me. Why would some committee somewhere think that is a winning strategy?

I got a chuckle out of this whole thing, mostly, but… Red Shirts? Maybe I’m just missing the point?